Fremont Neighborhood Tour, Seattle (Self Guided), Seattle

Fremont is one of the most famous and beloved neighborhoods of Seattle. It is well-known for its amazing shops, but also for such sights as the Lenin Sculpture, Fremont Troll and the Aurora Bridge. Take this walking tour to discover the Fremont Neighborhood in Seattle.

How it works: Download the app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from iTunes App Store or Google Play to your mobile phone or tablet. The app turns your mobile device into a personal tour guide and its built-in GPS navigation functions guide you from one tour stop to next. The app works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

The first organic chocolate factory in the U.S., the Seattle Chocolate Factory was established in a historic building of Seattle in June 2006.Theo brand chocolates are manufactured at the factory.

The chocolate factory is now in the building that was formerly the Red Hook brewery in the Fremont district of Seattle. The founder is Joe Whinney who pioneered importing organic cocoa beans to North America. The entire chocolate making process from cocoa bean sourcing to molding is performed by the company. The company also has an onsite laboratory to evaluate the quality of the organic cocoa beans.

In addition to manufacturing chocolate, visitors are given tours to learn about the chocolate manufacturing process. The factory also offers a 10 course series on chocolate making from sourcing beans to making chocolate to serious students. All employees are chocolate enthusiasts who enjoy sharing the chocolate manufacturing experience with visitors.

Daily tours, group tours and special education tours for schoolchildren are conducted by the employees of the Chocolate Factory. Rooms are rented f or private parties after 6 p.m. daily. Customized chocolates are manufactured for weddings and celebrations and the factory has a chocolate retail store stocking delectable chocolates in the Fremont district of Seattle.

Located in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle is a 16-foot bronze statue of the author of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, Vladimir Lenin. The statue has a checkered history of being made under commission of the Russian and Czechoslovak government and later lying in a scrap yard to be sold for the bronze and its subsequent restoration by a Seattle resident.

Unlike other statues, this statue shows Lenin as a leader of a revolution. Other statues portray Lenin as a thinker and philosopher. As depicted in this sculpture, Lenin marches amongst chaos, flames and symbols of war.

The statue was made by Slovak Bulgarian sculptor Emil Venkov. It was completed and installed in Poprad Slovakia in 1988. After the fall of communism in 1989, the statue was removed from Lenin Square in Poprad. Lewis E Carpenter, a Seattle resident found the statue in a scrap yard in Poprad and purchased it for $13000 with the help of a journalist friend Tomas Fulopp.

Visitors to Seattle can view the statue of Lenin at its present location at the intersection of Evanston Avenue North, North 36th Street and Fremont Place.

Why You Should Visit:
One of Fremont's oddities to see, along with the troll, the rocket ship, the Center of the Universe marker, dinosaurs and the Waiting for the Interurban statue.

Tip:
Check out the sign describing both the history of the statue and Lenin himself – it is more informative than you'd expect.

In Seattle, ‘Waiting for the Interurban’ is not a statement, poem, play or novel but a unique metal sculpture. This realistic sculpture collection in cast aluminum is located in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle.

The sculpture collection was installed in 1979 and designed and executed by resident Seattle sculptor, Richard Beyer. The work of art depicts six people and a dog waiting for the interurban public transport to come their way. The intention was to portray a group of people waiting for the Seattle-Everett Interurban. The idea is said to have been inspired by a local political leader and municipal recycling activist Armen Napoleon Stepanian. The sculpture is located in the North 34th Street at the southeast corner. The only anomaly is that the stop of the interurban as shown in the figure faces 34th Street rather than Fremont Avenue where the Seattle-Everett interurban ran.

Fremont is home to an artistic community and over the years the sculptures have been dressed by the artists to make political and artistic statements. The dressed up sculptures often deceive visitors into believing that a group of real people is waiting for the interurban.

Visitors to the Fremont neighborhood will be fascinated and perhaps deceived by this unique sculpture. The right to decorate is open to all as long as it is not for a commercial purpose and with the stipulation that the artist cleans up after the display is complete.

Why You Should Visit:
Seattle's most popular piece of public art!

Tip:
Stop and walk up to the figures because only then can you see the subtleties in the sculpture. Make sure to look on the face of the dog – yes there is a story there...
‘Waiting for the Interurban’ and ‘Late for the Interurban’ are down the street from each other.

One of the busiest bascule bridges in the world, the Fremont Bridge connects Fremont with the Queen Anne neighborhood. The bridge is built over the Lake Washington ship canal and the two leaves of the structure part and rise over 35 times a day to make way for the marine traffic that sails below.

Fremont Bridge was opened on the 15th of July 1917 shortly after the dedication of the Lake Washington ship canal on July the 4th 1917. The structure is a low bridge with a height of only 30 feet above the water. When the bridge was constructed, it was the first bascule bridge in Seattle. In 1985 the color changed to blue and orange after a vote by Fremont residents and the Fremont Arts Council at a street fair. The bridge is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a City Landmark.

Fremont Bridge underwent extensive repairs and mechanical and electrical system modernization in the year 2006 and opened again to traffic in 2008. The bridge is closed to marine traffic during rush hour. Fremont Bridge is operated and maintained by the Seattle department of traffic.

The bridge celebrated 566,000 openings in 2006 before it was closed for restoration. Visitors to Seattle can view one of the world’s hardest working bascule bridges at work when they visit Fremont Bridge.

The Fremont Troll lives under the Aurora Bridge in Seattle. The Fremont neighborhood hosts an array of unique sculpture and the troll adds to the list of artistic delights that fascinate visitors to Fremont.

Trolls in Scandinavian folklore are unsightly dwarfs or giants that lived in caves, in forests or under bridges and preyed on human flesh and the Fremont troll was based on the Scandinavian folktale, 'Three Billy Goats Gruff'. In 1989 the Fremont Arts Council held a competition for placing something unique under the Aurora Bridge and the winning design was the Fremont Troll. The artists were the Seattle based artist group called Jersey Devils led by Steve Badanes along with Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead. The troll clutches a real Volkswagen Beetle with a California license plate as if the monster has grabbed the vehicle from the bridge above. The sculpture is constructed with steel rebar, concrete and wire and has a height of 5.5 feet and weighs 6000 kg.

Visitors and nonprofits are encouraged to clamber over the sculpture for free and to attempt to remove the hubcap eye of the troll. Commercial use of the troll requires a written permission of the artists.

Why You Should Visit:
To see a fun and hip sculpture that totally fits Seattle's artsy vibe.

Tip:
You can walk to/from the Gas Works Park (catch a sunset) and do drop by Fremont Brewing for a local craft beer on the way.

The Essential Baking Company located in 5601, 1st Avenue South was established in 1994 by the late entrepreneur Jeff Fairhall. The bakery aims at being an environmentally friendly and socially responsible eatery that nourishes the body and soul of customers by serving the finest artisan baked food.

At first, Jeff Fairhall established Essential Foods, an establishment that served wrap sandwiches. In association with head baker George De Pasquale a range of signature breads were developed and sold at the new establishment called the Essential Baking Company. George learned to make good wholesome bread from his Italian grandmother and makes sure that customers get high quality and healthy baked food made with certified organic ingredients. At first breads were sold at the local farmers market. As the popularity of the baked goods made by the company grew, the bakery moved to the premises of the old Seattle Buchan Bakery in Wallingford.

The bakery not only sells bread, pastries and desserts to customers but supplies them to the finest stores, eateries, schools and hospitals across Puget Sound. The company runs three cafes, one in its Wallingford building, in Madison and in Georgetown, Seattle.

Visitors to Seattle looking for locally made healthy fare will find the fresh organic European style baked goods made by the Essential Baking Company to their taste.

On the north shore of Lake Seattle is the Gas Works Park, a public park designed around the former site of the gasification plant of the Gas Works Company. The plant was the only coal gasification plant in the US and operated for 50 years between 1906 and 1956.

The city of Seattle purchased the then abandoned plant in 1961 and due to the efforts of Councilwoman Myrtle Edwards, decided to make the area into a park. The design of the Gas Works Park aimed to preserve parts of the original Gas Works Company plant because of its historical value. Richard Haag won the American Society of Landscape Architects' Award of Excellence for his design of this unique park.

Gas Works Park opened to the public after extensive cleaning and greening in 1975. The park covers an area of over 19 acres and has 7 distinct divisions: the earth mound, North lawn, Towers, Prow, Picnic Lawn, South Lawn and Play Barn. The park also features an imposing sundial created by local artists Chuck Greening and Kim Lazare.

Gas Works Park is a green oasis where visitors get to see one of the last coal gasification plants in beautifully landscaped surroundings. Visitors can now breathe abundant fresh air in a location where fuel that polluted the atmosphere was originally manufactured.

Why You Should Visit:
Good option if you're in Fremont and want to get a photo of Seattle proper – there's a big hill you can stand on and get a decent view.
The old gasworks itself is also rather picturesque, in a decaying industrial kind of way.

Tip:
Check for outdoor concerts or bring a kite and/or a picnic and enjoy some seriously phenomenal sunsets!
One thing to note, though: the park's hilly landscape isn't ideal for playing sports.

Walking Tours in Seattle, Washington

Creating your own self-guided walk in Seattle is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Seattle is a coastal city and a major seaport. Museums, amazing eateries, unique neighborhoods, and open air activities make Seattle a major tourist attraction of the Pacific Northwest. Take this walking tour to explore the amazing mix of urban attractions and outdoor recreation that Seattle has to offer.

Seattle's religious buildings play a very important role in the city's social life, as they did at the moment of their construction. Besides their religious input, Seattle's religious buildings are an important source of the community's architectural and artistic heritage. This walking tour will lead you to some of the most beautiful and famous religious sights in Seattle.

Seattle is known all over the world for its internationally recognized landmarks. It has amazing monuments, spectacular architecture, and impressive religious sights. Take this walking tour to explore some of the most beautiful landmarks in Seattle.

Seattle Center is a 74 acre campus within the city that combines a park, museums, entertainment and a fairground. It is one of the most famous places in Seattle where the entire family can have fun. You can visit the famous Experience Music Project Museum or go visit the Children's Museum that will offer an absolutely unique experience for your children. Take this walking tour to discover the... view more

Seattle is packed with all kinds of tourist attractions. You can spend a whole day in the town admiring its amazing sites. But this city also offers a wide variety of options for a night in town. Take this walking tour for a unique nightlife experience in Seattle.

Seattle is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Washington. It offers everything from beautiful architecture and amazing religious buildings to unique museums and galleries, spectacular gardens and parks and one-of-a-kind shops and restaurants. Take this walking tour to explore some of the better known architectural beauties of Seattle.

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip

With the penchant for coffee they have in Seattle, no wonder they go sleepless. Other than that, the Emerald City is renowned for quite a few "distinctively Seattle" things that make it stand out from the crowd of other major urban U.S. destinations. Here are some tips as to which they are...

Explore Seattle’s top coffee shops to get a real sense of the eclectic and culturally diverse caffeine buzzed city. Whether you desire a chic downtown coffee café with lots of windows and swanky décor or a dark coffee shop with mix-matched furniture, strong espresso, free wireless and lots of...